A Place Called Home
by Montana-Rosalie
Summary: Emma and Killian adopt an unwanted child. Joy and heartbreak are hopelessly entwined.


**Hello, this is me still writing CS instead of my book. Oooops. I hope you like the fluff and feels contained in this oneshot, and thank you for being the best audience an author could wish for.  
**

* * *

They've been married for almost a year when Killian starts dropping subtle hints that he would very much like having more kids. Emma finds it endearing how he always makes sure she doesn't doubt the fact that he considers Henry the child of his heart if not his body, as if it were even possible; she knows a lot of fathers who do not take care of their sons the way Killian does with Henry, who barely give their biological kids any attention, much less all the other things those children need.

Killian is already a father, but Emma can't blame him for wanting to experience parenthood the old-fashioned way.

"We need to talk", Emma blurts out from the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her stomach feeling like it's full of rocks even when Killian turns away from the stove and gives her one of his careless, heart-stopping smiles.

"That sounds ominous", he says with a twinkle in his blue eyes, his expression gradually shifting to one of concern when she doesn't reassure him right away. "Swan? What's wrong?"

"I have to tell you something."

"Alright", he says cautiously and pulls the pot off the fire so that he can give her his full attention without having to worry that their dinner will burn.

They sit at the table facing each other and Emma entwines her fingers and gives him a small grin because the longer she's quiet the more frightened he looks.

"What's on your mind, love?"

"When I was young, I lived in orphanages and group homes", Emma finally says, a part of her hoping that Killian is somehow going to figure out what she wants to tell him so that she doesn't have to explain herself.

"I know that, lass", he tells her gently and she bites her lip, then takes a deep breath, raises her eyes to his and starts talking.

"Some of the other kids got adopted, but nobody ever wanted me", she says and watches Killian get up from his seat to switch to the chair next to her, his warm hand covering hers.

He doesn't interrupt even though he had already heard some of this before, and she feels her lips twitch into a smile despite the fact that these memories still hurt her.

"As years went by, I told myself that someday I would find somebody to love who would love me too, and before we would have kids of our own we would go to an orphanage and adopt a child that nobody else wants", she says and shifts her eyes from Killian's face to their joined hands. "Neal and I… we weren't together long enough to ever talk about kids, and then I had Henry and gave him up… it hurt so much to think that he might end up being like me and never get adopted."

Killian squeezes her fingers and she looks up to find him smiling at her, all her apprehension draining away.

"Captain Hook and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming adopting a lost boy or girl is going make an exceptional bedtime story", he says and lifts her hand to his lips, briefly closing his eyes as he bestows a gentle kiss against her knuckles.

"You're okay with waiting a bit longer before I have your kid?" Emma asks cautiously, not wanting to get her hopes up, but when he looks at her and tells her it doesn't matter much to him how they become parents, she wonders why had she ever doubted him.

He was, after all, a lost boy once too.

"Thank you", she whispers and he shakes his head, leaning against the space separating them and pressing his lips against her forehead.

"Nothing to thank me for, love. Being with you and raising Henry is giving me more joy than I had ever dreamed I would experience after losing Liam, and any other children we might have are only going to make me happier, no matter how we come by them."

"Children? As in more than one?"

"Aye", he says with mock innocence. "A whole crew worth of 'em."

Emma laughs and slides on his lap, cups his face between her hands and kisses him, sighing against his pretty mouth and feeling so very light now that she will be able to honor the promise she had made a long time ago.

* * *

"Absolutely not! There has to be another way", Killian exclaims a few days later when Emma tells him that they will need Gold's help if they really want to adopt a child.

"I know you can't stand him-"

"That's putting it mildly", Killian huffs and she feels awful because she doesn't want to minimize his pain no matter how much she wants them to do this, but at the same time she knows that there's no way around involving Gold.

"He's the one who got Henry for Regina."

"What happened to just going to an orphanage and picking a child?" Killian asks, pausing in his pacing across their living room only long enough for Emma to tell him that it doesn't work like that. "Why the bloody hell not?"

"Because you have to jump through a lot of hoops if you want to adopt and we can't do it because of where we live and who we are", Emma says as calmly as she can and watches Killian grit his teeth, his eyes flashing before he resumes his pacing.

"Are you sure Regina can't help? Or anybody else in this bloody tows aside from the Crocodile?"

"I asked Regina first. Do you honestly think I would bring up Gold if there was a way around him?" Emma asks and gets up from the couch to block Killian's way. "If you can't bear it, we just won't do it."

"This is not about me, Swan. This is about the fact that I don't trust that bastard farther than I can throw him, and I especially don't trust him with a child", Killian says vehemently and Emma takes his hand and hook in her hands, assuring him that she had already thought of that.

"Belle assures me he will help and agree to any terms we have. He's a different man now that the darkness is out of his heart, and besides, he wouldn't risk alienating Belle again when she had finally let him back into her life.

"You really think we can trust him?"

"Yes, I really do."

Famous last words.

* * *

Their request was simple; a boy or a girl between three and six years old that nobody had ever even contemplated adopting.

It takes Gold three weeks to work his proverbial magic, and then he tells them that he had found the perfect child, his smile feeble because Killian is glaring daggers at him and Emma is pretty sure he's vibrating with the effort to keep himself from jumping across the counter in Gold's shop and strangling the pawnbroker.

"Would you like to know the details about the child I have acquired?"

"A child is not a thing you acquire", Killian says sharply and Emma squeezes his hand in warning because antagonizing Gold won't do them any good.

"In this instance, I beg to differ, Captain", Gold says with a twisted smile that disappears in the blink of an eye, but Emma still gets a chill down her spine that she tries to ignore.

"Tell us about the kid", she demands and Gold obliges, telling them that it's a five year old girl named Mary, blue-eyed and blond-haired, a little small for her age, but most importantly, so far chronically unwanted.

"All the paperwork is ready, so it's just up to you to go and get her tomorrow morning", Gold concludes and Emma thanks him, Killian's grim-faced nod the only gratitude he manages to muster.

"What the hell was that?!" Emma says and drops her husband's hand as soon as they exit the shop, but he just shrugs and tells her that he can't shake the bad feeling he's got and seeing Gold has only made it worse. "You could've at least been civil."

"Nobody is going to be more relieved than me if it proves that he's not up to something, Swan", Killian tells her and starts walking back to their apartment with Emma silently trailing behind.

Henry is excited about the new addition to their little family and Killian hides his uneasiness well, but neither him nor Emma sleep much that night.

She spends most of it trying to convince herself that Killian is just expecting the worst because it's Gold they are dealing with.

The dawn comes but she does not quite manage it.

* * *

Killian is up before she is, making breakfast and simultaneously quizzing Henry on the History test he's having today, his smile warm when he bids her good morning.

"I am going to ace this", Henry says and looks at Killian for approval, beaming when Killian agrees and finishing his toast before making them promise to get him out of school on their way back with Mary.

"We don't know how long it will take yet, but don't worry, lad; we won't forget you", Killian reassures him and Emma promises him they will spring him as soon as possible, smiling into her coffee mug as she watches their son race down the hallway and out the door as if he can make the time go faster by leaving quicker.

"Ready for today, love?" Killian asks and kisses Emma's temple as he puts a plate in front of her and Emma starts to nod, then raises her eyebrows when she notices that he's not wearing either his hook or his old fake hand, but a modern prosthetic that looks remarkably like a real hand.

"Whale?"

"Don't want to scare the wee lassie, now do I?" He says and pokes Emma's shoulder with his new hand, then sits at the table and sips his coffee quietly while she eats.

An hour later they are driving away from Storybrooke with a brand new car seat for Mary in the back, deliberately not talking about what they are about to do and verbalizing all their fears.

* * *

Their first clue that Killian was right in not trusting Gold is the way the guy in the adoption agency talks to them; he calls them brave and assures them that they can still change their mind before signing the adoption papers.

"Why would we change our minds?" Emma asks sharply, studiously avoiding Killian's gaze and feeling the bottom fall out of her stomach when Mr. Casper starts cleaning his glasses and says that he had assumed they had heard already why Mary was never considered for adoption before they came along.

"We did not hear", Killian says through gritted teeth and Emma can't believe she could've been so stupid to trust Gold.

Of course there is a catch.

Of course he would not want to make Killian happy out of the goodness of his heart.

"Mary's parents were murdered in a bank robbery when she was three. She was not hurt, but to my knowledge she did not speak a word since then", Mr. Casper says and puts his glasses back on his long nose. "Aside from screaming like a banshee every time she has a nightmare, which is almost every night."

Emma feels shaky and cold, but at the same time determined because Mary is waiting somewhere in this building and Emma can't even bear the thought of disappointing her after she had her hopes raised so high; they must've told her that somebody wants to adopt her, and for Emma, that was the point of no return, no matter what Mr. Casper says.

"Shall I leave you to decide what you want to do?"

Killian's hand covers Emma's and she lifts her head to look at him, relief cursing through her veins when he gives her a half smile before telling Mr. Casper to give them a bloody pen so that they can go get their daughter and go home.

They sign the papers and Emma is fairly certain she had never loved Killian more than she does now because she doubts many other men would want to proceed without a moment's hesitation the way he does.

Mr. Casper leads them down the hall and opens the door to a small room where a woman and a little girl are sitting on a ratty couch, the woman giving Emma an exhausted look that she had seen daily in her youth and deliberately ignores now.

"Mary? These are your adoptive parents", the woman says and the girl looks between Killian and Emma with wide, frightened eyes, then crawls into the corner of the couch and gives them all her back.

"I'm Emma, and this is Killian", Emma says weakly, but her introduction doesn't get any kind of response.

"Don't do that, honey. Don't you want to be adopted?"

Mary throws another look over her shoulder and then shakes her head so vigorously her curls fly around her head.

"I am terribly sorry", Mr. Casper is practically wringing his hands but neither Emma nor Killian pay him any mind, approaching the couch together and kneeling in front of it but leaving enough space between them and Mary so she doesn't feel threatened.

Her frail shoulders are shaking as she hugs herself in an apparent effect to make herself as small as possible.

"Don't be afraid, sweetheart", Killian speaks first, his voice soft and so unbearably gentle it makes Emma's eyes prickle with tears.

She is so mad at Gold not for picking Mary but for giving them no warning of what they would be facing, so she can only imagine how much bigger Killian's rage is, but he's setting it aside so that this scared little girl won't ever think it's directed at her.

"We wouldn't hurt you for the world", Killian says and pauses, waiting for some kind of response that Emma knows won't come.

"They told us that you don't talk to people, but maybe you could draw us a picture when we get home", Emma says equally softly and takes a purple felt-tip pen from her pocket. "When I was little I used to love to draw with these... you can have this one and many more if you want."

Mary darts another look over her shoulder and Emma holds out the pen, hoping that the promise of a possession that would be all hers is going to be enough to coax her to come with them.

They have come to collect her but Emma would rather lead her out by the hand instead of having to carry her out against her will.

"How about I draw you something first?" Killian asks when it becomes clear that Mary will not reach for the pen, and everybody in the room watches him pull a crumpled receipt from his pocket and straightens it against his knee, holding it in place with his fake hand as he takes the pen from Emma and draws a quick but detailed image of the Jolly Roger he turns toward Mary once he's done. "Do you think you would like to go sailing on a ship like this one, little love?"

Mary's eyes are as big as saucers and she leans closer to see better, her springy curls falling in her eyes as she studies the drawing.

When Killian offers her the pen she takes it and draws a tiny heart in the corner of the paper, then abruptly drops the pen when she manages to get some of the color on Killian's jeans.

Emma takes the pen and calmly draws a heart on Mary's white stocking, reassuring her that it's alright, that the color will wash out easily.

Mary looks so relieved that Emma just wants to hug her close and promise her that nobody is ever going to hurt her again, but she knows they have a long way ahead of them before she'll be able to do that.

"I have another appointment in ten minutes, and Mrs. Wells here should really go back to the orphanage", Mr. Casper says and startles them all, making Mary go back to pressing herself against the corner of the couch.

"Well done, mate", Killian says flatly and gives Emma an apologetic look. "I think I should just carry her out."

"I guess", Emma agrees but it's not like they are giving them much choice, so she takes Killian's drawing and stands up while he lays a gentle hand on Mary's back, talking to her as he picks her up and holds her in the cradle of his arms.

Mary does not make a sound but Emma can tell that she is as stiff as a board, her eyes squeezed shut as her new parents shake Mr. Casper's hand and Killian carries her out of the building.

And yet, by the time they reach the car Mary has her arms wrapped around Killian's neck, her face is buried against his shoulder, and she refuses to let him go when Emma opens the back door of her Bug.

"I'll sit beside you if you like, darling", Killian says but Mary doesn't give any sign that she had heard him, and so he gives Emma a one-shouldered shrug and walks around the car to the passenger side, shifts Mary in his arms and opens the door, carefully getting in while Emma sighs and gets behind the wheel.

They have just become parents together and she already feels exhausted.

* * *

When they reach Storybrooke Emma goes to get Henry while Killian walks to their apartment carrying Mary, and she makes sure to prepare Henry for his new sister as well as she can, telling him at least ten times to be gentle and not to expect her to talk.

"You guys had no idea that she would be so scared, did you?" Henry asks, sounding as perceptive as Killian often does and Emma grits her teeth because Gold should better run before she gets her hands on him.

"She just needs a lot of love", Emma says as they ascend the stairs to their apartment, letting them in and coming to the living room to see how well is Killian coping alone with Mary.

It's been about half an hour since she had seen them last and it took Killian ten minutes to walk home, so Emma is astounded to find Mary sitting sideways on his lap and drawing in a notebook that Emma is usually using for doing home accounts.

"Hi, Mary", Henry says and cautiously approaches them, stopping when Mary drops the pen and scrambles off Killian's lap and into the corner of the couch.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, sweetheart. Henry is your new brother, and he would never hurt you", Killian says and gives Henry an apologetic look over his shoulder before scooting closer to Mary and coaxing her back into his arms.

"Come on kid. Let's make lunch", Emma says and urges Henry into the kitchen, feeling both relief and guilt as she leaves Killian to deal with Mary for the time being.

He seems to have established a connection with her already, and Emma knows better than trying to insinuate herself between them no matter how much she wishes she could show Mary all the love that she's got to give.

There will be plenty of time for that, and besides, as long as Killian is occupied with their daughter, he won't go after Gold for putting them into this difficult situation in the first place.

She can just imagine the Crocodile's face when he tries to justify it by saying that he only gave them what they had wished for.

* * *

Mary eats like a little bird, sitting in a chair next to Killian and looking at him for encouragement before raising each fork-full of food to her mouth.

Emma and Henry talk about his school day and Henry thanks Killian for revising History with him because he's pretty sure he'll have a hundred percent on the test even though he'd been jittery and unable to concentrate for the first few minutes of it.

When Killian gets up from the table to pour himself another glass of water Mary freezes, her eyes following his every move until he's sitting next to her again, and it's only then that she takes another bite of her food.

Emma can't help thinking how different she'd been at Mary's age, stuffing herself with as much food as possible at lunch so that nobody could take it away from her.

The phone rings and Mary almost topples off her chair in her fright, emitting a low-pitched continuous scream that has Emma scrambling for the phone and Killian picking up their daughter and settling her on his lap, murmuring reassurance against her ear as she clings to him with all her might.

Henry looks worried when he meets Emma's eyes as she barks a greeting into the headset.

"Can we come over and meet our new granddaughter?" Mary Margaret asks, and Emma can practically hear her mother frown as she wonders what is making that noise.

"That would be Mary", Emma says softly and carries the phone into the living room, ignoring the urge to open her heart to her mother and whine about Gold.

It's not Mary's fault she'd been so traumatized and Emma already feels awful at the thought that she could've been left behind once again if Gold hadn't picked her; Emma knew raising a foster child would be difficult, and even though she hadn't anticipated it would be this difficult, she knows that she will never regret adopting Mary.

Killian is obviously completely taken by her, and it's a relief beyond measure for Emma.

"What's going on?"

Emma tells her mother everything as briefly as possible and asks that she and David wait for a few days before coming over, let Mary adjust a bit before they shower her with toys and affection and bring Neal to play with her, and although Mary Margaret sounds disappointed, she recognizes that Emma is right.

Once she hangs up Emma doesn't return the phone to its place on the counter, sitting instead on the chair Mary had been occupying earlier and holding out the headset toward her.

"This is just a phone", she tells her and Mary darts a look at her before burrowing deeper into Killian's embrace.

"We can change the ringtone", Henry suggests and runs around the table, snatching the phone from Emma's hand before she can stop him.

Shrill ringing fills the house again and Mary recoils, although she doesn't scream this time as Henry quickly goes through the ringtones.

"See? It's just stupid sounds", he tells her and pauses on the one that doesn't seem to aggravate Mary at all, her body relaxing against Killian's chest and her head bobbing in time with the music.

"You like that one, do you, lassie?" Killian murmurs and Mary tilts her head back, rewarding him with a shy smile that reveals her dimples and makes Henry and Killian grin brightly while Emma blinks and fights to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Can we show her the room now?" Henry asks excitedly and Killian sets Mary on her feet, chuckling when she wraps her arms around his leg as soon as he stands up.

"I am not going anywhere without you, sunshine", he tells her and gently pries her arms away, leading her by the hand to the room at the end of the hall directly across the master bedroom. Emma and Henry follow close behind and watch from the doorway as Mary stands in the middle of the yellow carpet and takes in the green decorations and a haphazard array of toys before he eyes alight on a big stuffed teddy bear sitting at the foot of the bed.

Mary looks at Emma and Killian in stunned disbelief, reverently touching various toys but never letting go of Killian's hand until they reach the bed and he lifts her up on it, her arms instantly wrapping around the teddy bear, her face pressing against his soft beige fur.

She's asleep a minute later, just slumping against the bear, and Emma comes forward to remove her shoes before Killian maneuvers her into a more comfortable position, the teddy bear still in her arms.

Henry wanders off to his room but Emma and Killian sink down on the couch in the corner, unwilling to let Mary out of their sight.

"Gold is probably alternating between glee and mortal fear", Killian says softly and rolls up the sleeve of his button-down shirt, sighing with relief when the prosthetic is off.

"Do you want to punch him in the face or thank him first?" Emma asks and peels off the protective sock that's been covering Killian's stump, gently massaging the scarred, pale flesh which makes Killian moan softly in approval.

"Can I punch him in the face and then you can thank him?"

"I think we should do neither and make him sweat and worry about what's coming for him", Emma says and looks across the room at Mary, who's still clinging to her first very own toy since she lost her parents.

"I quite like how you think, Mrs. Jones", Killian says and drops a kiss against the top of his wife's head, then settles more comfortably against the back of the couch with his arm wrapped around her. "The thing that makes me so mad is that he had probably thought we would give up on Mary."

"He's an asshole, but Mary is better off with us."

"Of course she is", Killian says softly and Emma rests her head against his chest, settling in comfortably because she intends to spend the afternoon right here, watching over Mary with Killian and shower her with love even while she's asleep.

* * *

It's half past three in the morning when Emma wakes up to a desperate scream that makes blood run cold in her veins; she jumps out of bed before her eyes are even fully opened and almost collides with Killian who's had the same idea to check on Henry and it's only then that Emma remembers Mary and her sleepy mind catches on to what's happening.

Killian is already opening the door to Mary's room and Emma follows him in, flipping on the light switch and finding Mary sitting up in bed with both hands pressed to her mouth and her eyes wide with terror and something else Emma remembers well from her youth.

Mary looks deeply regretful and already resigned to the fact that she had blown her one shot at finally having a family.

"Hey, honey. Did u have a bad dream?" Emma asks her softly, coming closer and being only distantly aware of the fact that Killian had gone to check on their son. "It must've been something really frightening."

Mary looks at Emma approach, still keeping her hands pressed to her mouth when Emma kneels in front of her bed, gently taking her wrists and lowering her hands as she tells her softly that it's alright.

"You were really scared so you screamed, and there's nothing wrong with that", Emma assures her and gives her a warm smile as she brushes her damp curls off her forehead, her free hand still holding her daughter's cold, tiny one. "You know, I used to have nightmares. Killian did too."

Mary doesn't utter a word, but Emma hadn't expected her to, so she continues on, finding encouragement in the fact that her little girl doesn't try to pull away.

"Once, I punched him in my sleep, right on that ridiculous jaw of his", Emma says and smiles faintly at the memory because enough time has passed for her to be able to do that; she was completely horrified when it happened even though Killian had spent days assuring her that it's not a big deal. "But you see, he loves me, and I didn't mean to do it, so he had forgiven me."

Mary's eyes widen and Emma wonders briefly if she even remembers what's it like when somebody loves you, but she's fiercely determined to show her again.

"Killian and I love you, Mary. I know you just met us yesterday but you are our daughter now and we love you, and a little scream won't change that", Emma tells Mary and gives into the urge to poke her button-like nose, which seems to startle the child and please her at the same time. "Do you think you'll be able to fall asleep again?"

Mary shrugs but obediently lies back down, looking up at Emma expectantly; it was clear that she loved the bedtime story Killian had told her, and now she wants another one.

And where is Killian?

"Once upon a time, there was a princess", he says from the doorway and Emma looks at him over her shoulder, noticing right away that his new hand is back in place, her eyebrows shooting up because she hadn't expected him to waste time on that when Mary was distressed.

One look up at his eyes reveals his thoughts without a word spoken; he didn't want to risk his missing hand disturbing her further.

"She was blonde and beautiful and very stubborn", Killian continues as he comes to kneel next to Emma, who is still holding Mary's hand in hers.

"I have a feeling he's talking about me", Emma whispers to Mary and sticks her tongue at her husband, who continues his story completely nonplussed.

Mary watches them carefully, and although she doesn't smile, her eyes loose a tiny bit of their haunted look by the time they finally drift closed.

Emma and Killian don't move for a while longer, afraid to wake her, but their caution proves unnecessary because she doesn't even shift when Emma eventually pulls her hand away.

They tiptoe out and leave a light on in the hallway, then quietly return to their room.

"Was Henry okay? I should go check up on him", Emma says but Killian shakes his head, telling her with a chuckle that the lad had slept through all the ruckus and only woke when Killian came into his room.

"He just rolled over and went back to sleep."

"I think she was more scared that we would kick her out because she screamed than she was of the nightmare she had", Emma says softly and gets back into bed, frowning at Killian because he's still standing in the middle of the room looking uncertain. "What?"

"Do you think she'll wake up again before morning?"

"I don't know. I guess she might. What does that have to-", she starts to say, then trails off when he gets under the covers still wearing his new prosthetic. "She's going to see you without the hand eventually, you know."

"Swan-"

"You can forget the idea of sleeping with it on", Emma says firmly, her eyes daring him to try and argue with her.

Killian sighs and takes his fake hand off, then drops it on the floor by the bed and wraps his arms around Emma, pulling her close until her head is resting on his shoulder.

"I wish I could make sure she never has a nightmare again", Emma whispers and closes her eyes, telling herself she won't cry.

"I know, love. I do too."

* * *

A week passes and even though Mary still looks around as if she can't believe she's home now, she's not clinging to Killian as much as she did the first few days. It turns out she's a deeply affectionate child, and she never seems to get tired of all the cuddling Emma wants to bestow on her and all the affection Killian and Henry can give her, and they each give her a lot.

David and Mary Margaret arrive for Sunday lunch and bring Neal with them, who's at the phase of throwing himself at walls and people and in general getting excited about everything, especially his adopted niece, which is one thing nobody tries to explain to either him or Mary.

"Mama's name is Mary too", Neal announces and holds up his toy fire-truck for Mary to inspect, then runs off to greet Henry, then very loudly asks Killian when did his hand grow back.

Killian darts a look at Mary, but she's distracted by a bag full of toys that David sets on the floor in front of her.

"We've brought you presents", Mary Margaret announces and Emma can practically feel Killian's relief, so she makes a mental note to talk to him later; their daughter adores him and Emma needs him to know that the only thing Mary cares about is not being abandoned, and not the number of hands her father has.

"Is it your birthday?" Neal asks and drags Henry behind him, then runs around Mary singing happy birthday eight times before they manage to convince him that it's not Mary's birthday, and that they are just celebrating her joining their family.

Mary carefully unties the bow holding the bag closed and takes all the toys out one by one, and once she's done she goes to Mary Margaret and holds up her arms, giving her a hug once she's picked up and holding on for a long time.

David gets a quick, shy smile before Mary reaches out to Killian, who takes her and plops on the floor between Neal and Henry, who are each struggling to open a box of Legos.

"Come on, mate. Join in on the fun", Killian says and Mary Margaret shoots Emma a look, following her into the kitchen as their husbands focus on playing with the kids.

"She is adorable, Emma."

"She is."

"You look tired."

"I'm fine."

"Killian looks worse."

"Gee, thanks, Mom."

"I was just going to offer to babysit this afternoon if you two want to get away for a while", Mary Margaret says defensively, and Emma vehemently declines.

"She's not ready for that yet. Every time one of us goes to the bathroom she stares at the doorway until we're back", Emma says and starts setting the table, telling herself to remember what Dr. Hopper had told her.

It will take time and patience and love, but in this town, time is one thing they don't have because things have been quiet for months and Emma can't help waiting for another villain to rear his or hers ugly head.

"You can bring Neal for playdates any time you want, though", Emma tells her mother and peeks into the living room to find all the men in her life completely taken with Mary.

"How is Killian coping without the hook?"

"He's not complaining", Emma says noncommittally, but even though it is the truth, it's not the whole truth.

"Did you tell Mary anything about the magic and who we are?"

"Nope."

"Emma", Mary Margaret chides her gently but Emma ignores her tone and invites everybody into the kitchen for lunch.

* * *

They run into Gold in a kids clothing store of all places, where Belle is browsing tiny onesies and baby shoes, beaming at Emma and Killian as she proudly announces that they are expecting.

Killian scoops Mary up and gives Belle a heartfelt congratulations while Emma hugs her, both of them pretending that Gold isn't even there.

Belle thanks them and invites them to bring Mary to the library, asking her what her favorite fairytale is and proceeding to talk to her even though Mary doesn't answer. It's clear that Belle has no idea what had Gold attempted to do and Emma is on the verge of telling her when Killian speaks.

"We've been a little busy settling our lassie in, but we wanted to thank you for finding her for us. You couldn't have picked a lovelier child if you tried", Killian tells Gold and winks at Mary, who grins at him and leans her head against his shoulder with a tiny tired sigh.

Gold looks stricken and not a little pissed off for a second, then smiles and brushes the gratitude away, practically shining at the look of adoration on Belle's face.

"We should get going and put Mary down for her afternoon nap", Emma announces and wraps her fingers around Killian's arm, waving goodbye to Belle and steering her husband toward the cash registers.

"I will never understand what she sees in him", Killian says under his breath and Emma nods in agreement, and that's the last they speak of it.

* * *

Emma is in the bathroom when Mary's regularly scheduled screaming occurs and she does her best to get dressed and wash her hands quickly, but when she finally gets to Mary's room Killian is already there, sitting on Mary's bed and rocking her in his lap.

There's no way he had enough time to put on his prosthetic hand and Emma feels guilty for even thinking he'd leave Mary to suffer alone while he assembled himself.

Emma leaves them to it and goes to the kitchen to make hot chocolate, which has become a kind of a ritual in the past month, only it's usually Killian's job to bring it to Mary.

When she comes back with Mary's pink mug full of steaming liquid she finds Killian and their daughter sitting side by side and leaning against the wall, a book of fairytales opened on Killian's lap and his bad arm wrapped around her.

They both smile up at Emma before Killian goes back to reading the latest book they've checked out from the library and Emma sits down next to Mary, blowing on her hot chocolate until it's lukewarm enough to drink.

As usual, Mary takes just a few sips and sighs with content before handing the mug back to Emma, falling asleep as soon as Killian tucks her back under the covers, each of her parents bestowing a kiss against her forehead before they quietly return to their bedroom.

"You alright?" Emma asks, her hand sliding underneath the hem of Killian's t-shirt and pressing against the small of his back, her head tilting a little because she can't read his expression well from the side.

"She is your daughter through and through", Killian says, then looks at her and laughs, his arms wrapping around her waist before he spins her around.

"So she wasn't upset?" Emma asks and kisses his jaw. "I was afraid only of her getting sad."

"She was puzzled for a bit, but then she snuggled against me the way she always does and waited for me to start reading", Killian says and pulls Emma back to their bed. "We should get some sleep."

Emma nods, but she's not so sure she'll be able to sleep because they go back to work tomorrow, Killian taking the eight to noon shift at the Sheriff's Station and coming back for lunch while Emma takes the two to six.

Or, that's the plan, but it all depends on how bad Mary takes the separation.

Time, patience, and love, Emma reminds herself and presses her nose against Killian's shoulder, her fingers tracing the lines of the elaborate compass tattoo he's got on his hip.

"What you're doing is not really conductive to sleep", he warns her but she keeps doing it anyway, grinning when he rolls her on her back and covers her with his body.

"I honestly don't care", Emma says and tugs on his shirt, and it's a while before they get some rest.

* * *

In the morning Emma coaxes Mary out of bed and helps her get dressed while Killian makes breakfast and talks to Henry, their voices muffled but still comforting in their familiarity.

"This week is going to be a little bit different", Emma says and carefully watches Mary's face, ready to do damage control as soon as she sees panic there. "Killian and I need to go back to work, but we've figured out a way to still spend time with you."

Mary's chin trembles and Emma picks her up, hugging her close and carefully explaining the schedule ahead of them, promising her that she will never be abandoned, and that she will always be loved.

"Killian is a bit upset that he has to work first, so I was thinking that we could try to cheer him up before we walk him to the Station", Emma says and Mary lifts her head from Emma's shoulder, slowly nodding and wiggling until Emma puts her down.

"Breakfast!" Killian yells from the kitchen and Mary darts across the room and rummages through a dozen drawings scattered on her little table until she finds the right one, then runs out ahead of Emma and solemnly presents Killian with it.

"Mary wants you to take it to work with you so that you can look at it whenever you miss her", Emma tells him and Mary nods, doing her best to give Killian a brave smile.

"Thank you, sweetheart. That's really thoughtful of you", Killian says and kneels in front of Mary, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing the side of her head before they all sit down at the table.

To be quite honest, Emma had expected Mary to be a lot more distraught than she is, but aside from a few tears after Killian goes into the Sheriff's Station she seems to be handling everything remarkably well.

Emma takes her shopping and then they assemble a puzzle together until it's time to start cooking; Mary loves to help and Emma doesn't mind that everything takes longer because noon comes around quicker, and then it's twenty minutes past and Killian is unlocking the door, which has them both scrambling into the hallway.

"Did you miss me?" He asks and Mary claps her hands in an unusual expression of excitement and runs to hug him, laughing when he picks her up and twirls her in a circle.

It is the most joyful sound Emma had ever heard, and she ducks back into the kitchen so that Mary doesn't see her tears.

Six hours later she gets to experience the same kind of welcome and she finally lets herself believe that everything will be okay.

Eventually, her quiet child is going to be more than okay; she will be absolutely brilliant.

* * *

Emma hasn't done any magic in almost five months, since before the day she and Killian had adopted Mary. There hasn't been any emergency in town, no villain has appeared out of thin air, and the townspeople look at her askance sometimes before quickly looking away, probably thinking the same thing she is.

Somehow, Mary's arrival has changed things, and Storybrooke is suddenly just a quiet little town it would appear to be if any outsider could see it.

Today is a Saturday in the height of summer and Emma is sitting on a park bench watching Henry teach Mary hot to drive a bike while Killian walks along the two of them, an additional safety net that Emma suspects Mary doesn't really need anymore but neither her father or her brother are willing to let her drive on her own yet.

Even though the nightmares still plague her sometimes, they are not occurring as often as they had in the beginning, and even though Mary still doesn't speak, she laughs and grins and dances with Emma around the kitchen and runs into the master bedroom in the morning to snuggle with her parents.

Emma thinks she's happy, and it's the only thing that matters.

* * *

Mary finds out that magic is real and that her mother can do magical things the day before Christmas. Henry and Killian are wrapping the colorful lights around their tree and Mary is helping Emma make their own decorations, but the process is slow and messy and they both get frustrated, so Emma decides to help them both and show her daughter what magic can do.

She had almost forgotten the warm, pleasant rush that goes through her when she does spells, but she doesn't have time to focus on that because Mary's eyes are wide and filled with awe as she stares at the perfect Christmas ball Emma is now holding in her hand.

"Do it again!" Mary says reverently and holds up the ball she'd been unsuccessfully working on for the past half an hour.

Emma is distantly aware of the fact that Henry and Killian are staring at them without moving, frozen in place because Mary had finally spoken.

"What color should it be?"

Mary contemplates her answer for so long Emma already gives up hope that she's going to say anything else, but then her daughter grins and says: "Blue like Daddy's eyes."

Emma makes a show of squinting at Killian as if she doesn't know exactly what color Killian's eyes are, and then the ball in Mary's hand changes soundlessly and becomes as blue as the ocean.

"Again, again", Mary demands as Killian and Henry slowly approach the table, not speaking for fear of interrupting as Emma keeps making more Christmas balls, each one unique and more beautiful than the last.

"I think we have more than enough", Killian says after a while, worry evident in his voice because all magic comes with a price, but Emma just smiles instead of telling him that this kind of magic is free because it's made of nothing but love.

"Now we decorate", Mary proclaims and starts handing out balls to Henry, who carries them to their tree and obediently puts them on the branches Mary points out.

"Swan", Killian says under his breath and sits heavily in the chair Mary has been occupying, his hand covering Emma's and his eyes watching her with concern and a whole lot of relief.

"I'm okay", Emma reassures him and gives him a blinding smile, then slides on his lap and kisses him in a spectacularly inappropriate way.

"Guys, come on", Henry whines and Mary laughs, the sound wrapping around Emma and Killian and ringing around the apartment like tiny bells.

"Come on", Mary echoes and comes to get more balls from the table, then pulls on Emma's hand until she extricates herself from Killian and the two of them come to help her and Henry with the tree.

The magic of Christmas might have helped Mary to finally start talking, but Emma knows that there's something much more important that her daughter has found that made it possible to open like a flower in full bloom and let go of her painful past; she was shown what a home is, and that some people will love you no matter what you've been through and how it changed you.

And they will never, ever stop.

* * *

"Mommy, wake up", Mary says in a stage whisper and pokes Emma's arm. "Mommy."

Emma opens her eyes and thinks how she is never going to get tired of the sound of her daughter's voice as she lifts the covers and tucks her close.

"I had a bad dream", Mary says and Emma is instantly wide awake, pulling away a little in order to see Mary's face.

"Are you okay, baby?"

"I was a little scared so I came here", Mary says and burrows closer, her face pressing against Emma's chest.

"Shall I go make hot chocolate?" Killian asks in a voice roughened with sleep and Mary rolls over Emma and wraps both arms around Killian's bad one.

"Mommy can make chocolate appear because she's magical", Mary says and Emma sits against the headboard, poofing the desired beverage to the bedside table.

"Mommy is good to us, isn't she?" Killian asks Mary with a wink to Emma as their daughter nods enthusiastically and gently pets the end of her father's arm, her fingertips tracing the patterns made by his scars.

"Mommy is the best mommy", she says and sits up, then crawls into Emma's lap and combs her tiny fingers through Emma's hair. "I want to have hair like you."

"Your hair is much prettier, baby. Look at all these curls", Emma tells her and showers her with kisses until Mary roars with laugher and finds shelter on her father's lap.

Killian leans her over in his arms and holds her like he would have if they had gotten her when she was just a baby, and Mary lifts her hand and touches his face with such affection that Emma finds herself a tiny bit overwhelmed with emotion.

"I love you, Daddy", Mary says and Emma isn't the least bit jealous that Killian got to hear it first because every word out of their daughter's mouth is a blessing and Emma will never stop cherishing them.

"And I you, lassie."

"And I you, Mommy", Mary echoes and Emma gives her a kiss on the cheek, then rubs their noses together to make her little girl laugh.

In the end, Mary falls asleep and leaves the hot chocolate intact, and Emma sips it slowly, savoring the taste as she waits for Killian to return from putting Mary back into her bed.

"What do you say, Swan? Ready to add more members to our crew?"

Emma looks up and finds Killian leaning against the doorway with his shirt carelessly thrown over his shoulder and his arms crossed in front of his chest, one dark eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Aye, aye, Captain", Emma says with a mock salute and pulls her tank top up and over hear head, giggling when Killian curses under his breath and dives for her.

She wraps her arms around him and pulls him close, their eyes meeting and holding for a moment during which no words need to be said before their lips meet and they start working on a full house.

* * *

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